It's Official: Mariah Carey Signs as American Idol Judge for Season 12 -- Is She a Good Choice?

It’s not just a sweet, sweet fantasy: They belong together. Yes indeed, after several days of intense speculation, Fox announced at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour in Beverly Hills Monday that Mariah Carey has officially signed on as an American Idol judge for the show’s upcoming 12th season.

“I am so excited to be joining Idol,” Carey shared via a phone call to Fox boss Kevin Reilly, just seconds after he shared the news with the TCA crowd. “I wanted to be there today and I wish I could have been there myself to tell you. I can’t wait to get started in a couple months.”

Reilly — who confirmed that Steven Tyler as well as Jennifer Lopez are both “100 percent” done with their Idol runs — said that judge Randy Jackson, Carey’s co-manager, was “instrumental” in bringing the songstress to the show.

With a nod to the increase in singing competitions — Fox’s own X Factor included — Reilly said, “Not being the only game in town now, we needed to keep things fresh” on Idol. That said, “There’s really nothing else we can confirm” about Season 12, he noted.

Earlier in the day, Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe weighed in on the very public search for new judges, saying, “I would like to see the judges change every year. It’s horrible to be in this position where you guys [in the press] are asking, ‘Who’s it going to be?’ and there are thousands of names being thrown out,” said Lythgoe. “And it’s unfair on negotiations. You can’t negotiate with somebody in a public marketplace.”

As for Carey, she served as a guest mentor during Top 7 Week on Season 7 of Idol, resulting in a stellar night of music focused around the diva’s songbook that included David Cook’s “Always Be My Baby,” Jason Castro’s “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” Carly Smithson’s “Without You,” and Syesha Mercado’s “Vanishing.”

The “Vision of Love” singer’s potential strengths as a judge are obvious: As one of the most successful power vocalists in modern music history, her opinions on contestants’ performances — and her advice for how they can improve — immediately carry more heft than Auto-Tune-reliant predecessors like Lopez or Paula Abdul. What’s more, Carey doesn’t seem driven by the need to be viewed as relentlessly nice — a problem that has plagued many artists-turned-judges (see Steven Tyler describing everything over the last two seasons as “beautiful.”) Indeed, during her more than two decades in the spotlight, Carey has been known for being outspoken, a little bit cheeky, and occasionally biting. Plus, she brings a little of the unpredictability factor that Tyler and Abdul were known for (see video of her infamous/hilarious Home Shopping Network appearance.)

If Carey is willing to use her critical ear and her candor — and not grind her personality down to a smooth, test-marketed monument to blandness and “gold stars for everyone!” — she could be a great boost for the show’s short-term buzz and long-term sustainability.

What do you think? Excited about Carey joining Idol, or is this an Ellen DeGeneres-level misstep? Sound off in the comments!

I agree that Mariah Carey is not a good choice for American Idol 12. I find her to be fake, Prima Donna’ish, snotty and more. I do not like any of the new judges except for Randy Jackson. Ratings will drop this year….I won’t watch and I used to adore American Idol, expecially with Stephen Tyler and Jennifer Lopez….the chemistry was so awesome.

Don’t care really but my overall thoughts is she is just a body replacing another body. Show has been without any real “judge” since Simon left. They were awful judges the last two years and unless I am surprised, this does not solve that issue. Can’t Jimmy be a judge?

Simon was a terrible judge. All he did was tell people they were indulgent, horrible, etc. and kept using those same tired lines about being a cruise or hotel singer. Or else he focused on what they were wearing. This is the guy who kept putting Clay down and thought Ruben was going to be a commercial success.

Simon sucked. Period. He wasn’t a judge – he was a bully with terrible, outdated taste. HIs comments were lame and manipulative (not to mention usually wrong). And his new show sucks more than Idol has over it’s entire run *every epsiode*.

I would like to see that happen, too, but I have a feeling they’re not going to be smart and quit while the show is ahead. The only way I can think of to get them to end it now would be illegal and very complicated, and I have no intention whatsoever of carrying it out or hiring anyone to do it, but I’ll share it anyway.
First, we locate everyone who was ever a finalist (it’s not worth it to go back further than that) on the show and kidnap them all. Then, we send the FOX executives a video proving that we are holding them captive and demanding “Cancel American Idol now or all its alumni die! And we won’t agree to just give back Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, this is an all or nothing deal!” That would put even more pressure on them to cancel it, especially since many of the alumni have families that they’re providing for. And of course, we give them a deadline to surrender by.
I repeat and emphasize, I know that this would be illegal and very complicated, and I have no intention whatsoever of carrying it out or hiring anyone to do it.

Oh, you bet we’d take Haley, too; she’s one of their strongest. But we wouldn’t actually kill the Idols; we’d just hold them until the show actually gets canceled and make it look like we killed them, leaving the FOX executives to stew in their guilt.

I’m not a fan of Mariah Carey, but if she can give useful feedback to the contestants, then she’ll probably be fine as a judge. The judges set the bar so low the last 2 seasons that if Mariah can put a coherent sentence together, she’ll already be a vast improvement over Steven and Randy.

At least , unlike JLO and PAULA, Mariah can actually sing…and to boot, she writes most of her own songs. Love her or hate her, she has real talent and Im sure the contestants – esp the girls- will love having her on board. Id love to see a Mariah theme night now. I just hope she doesnt fall into the trap of being nice to everyone…bring on some REAL critiques…and throw in a little of your crazy now and then. It might be fun for Idol to get another ‘diva’ – even if its a younger one (BUT NO MILEY OR ILL GAG)- and have the diva-off so they can spin the stories of cat fights…and then maybe have a male record exec in the middle…2 women 1 man might give it a little different look too…The panels always have 2 of each or a majority of men (even The Voice has gone with 3 men and 1 women…they did that in UK too so I don’t know if thats part of their format in other countries)

But please don’t keep Randy as judge- even more so because he manages Mariah, it would be more awkward

my thoughts exactly. I haven’t been an avid idol watcher for years but am planning on tuning in once or twice to see how mariah’s judging shapes up. I really hope they get another producer/vocal coach/record exec to be the third judge.

Sebastian Bach is an interesting choice. He can sing, is unpredictable and has an excess of charisma. He would call Mariah out if she gets to be too much diva. Assuming Randy is gone, who do you like as a third with Sebastian and Mariah?

Ewww. I think Mariah is the type who will try to hijack the judge’s table and get all the attention on herself (the way Aguilera has done on “The Voice”). I’ll give it a try, since I’ve watched every season of Idol, but I don’t expect to be watching for long.

That wasn’t the name I was hoping to hear but I’ll reserve my judgement until the panel is rounded off and we get to see who all will be sitting behind the table. I think Randy Jackson should step down from judging and serve in a different capacity. I haven’t seen him give any really constructive advice in years. “In it to win it” and “Yo, Dawg!” doesn’t cut it.

I think this is a great choice for the reasons that Michael listed above. Not only is Mariah a fantastic vocalist, but she is also one of the most successful female artists of all time. She has lots of potential and as long as she steers clear of sugar coating everything she could be a great judge. All they need now is to round out the panel with Adam Lambert and we would have a season 12 I could get behind.

Good luck with that…I hope it will be a great opportunity for people who THINK they know her to learn more about her amazing personality, they will be surprise to know the Diva behavior is not true and that she’s actually got a great sense of humor.

If this hiring saved Randy Jackson’s place on the panel, I think I’m out. They need a clean sweep & Randy needs to go. They keep him and I’m not sure I can stomach the insider name dropping love fest between him & his co-client Mariah. It will alienate viewers without a doubt.

Dear American Idol producers,
Please don’t have Randy on the panel again. Nobody likes him and he does not offer up any useful or intelligent critiques. True each past judge have has their detractors, but they also had some fans. Randy has no fans or supporters. He’s better served as a behind-the-scenes contributor. Bringing Mariah is a good example of that. But he’s a terrible judge and hurts your crediblity. Do the right thing and put us all out of our misery.

Michael had some great suggestions. If she does what Michael thinks she should do, then she should be a decent judge. I’m not a fan of her music but I can’t deny she actually can sing. I’m not a fan of JLo or Paula Abdul but I wouldn’t say they could sing and I just don’t like their music.

I’m thrilled. Mariah is everything jlo is not, poised, talented, classy, and did I mention TALENTED. She is the only artist in history to have a #1 single every year of the 90s (so most of the contestants grew up hearing her songs) and a handful of #1s in the 2000s. 18 number ones! Judging by how she was as a mentor in season 7 (one of the best live rounds that season), I think she will be awesome!

Something there between Idol judges and HSN…Mariah has her line….Randy just premiered with is watches…JLo had her perfume…Is Ryan next? I STILL WANT TO SEE CHER AS A JUDGE BUT IM SURE NOW IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. Shed be the best…Just even imagine her and Mariah going at it? Cher is pretty outspoken too!

I hope this doesnt mean we’re going to be stuck with Randy as a judge yet again. He says the same exact things year after year…it almost doesnt matter who’s singing. If they want (or need because of Mariahs connection) to keep him, move him into some kind of mentor role where he helps the kids with song choice, performance, style, stage presence etc.

I wish they’d also do some kind of screen test/audition with the panel before they agree to make sure theres some kind of chemistry.

Fine by me! I hope she stays true to the mentor status from an earlier season. IMO, the judges’ critiques are a form of mentoring. I never cared for Simon’s harshness, but clearly, the judging in the last two seasons was severely lacking. I would prefer a position somewhere between those options (harshness vs. sweetness and light).

She’s an interesting choice. Her vocabulary will go beyond calling people pitchy, and she’ll know what she’s talking about. She also has a reputation for speaking her mind, which is good. I just hope that that reputation holds up under the weight of the cameras and the press.

My only fear is this: Since she is going to be a judge does that mean her music can’t be used anymore? As one of the most important singers of her generation it’ll be difficult to do a musical series w/out her music, as it’s such a vital catalog to eliminate.

this is true, however, we won’t get the whole “you gotta be the best if you are going to sing mariah” crap over and over again. might be nice to see them not resort to her songs since they have been overdone and will ultimately receive negative critique.

So this is a hard concept to grasp, but she’s also in her 40s… She’s as current as leg warmers, George H.W. Bush, the original Gulf War, Tears for Fears…..

What they need to be relevant is people who are relevant. Yes, it’s hard to get that + enough chops to be a judge. So use the fact you are still the top-rated show on television and a giant career booster. Bottom line is that Blake Shelton and Adam Levine are still more relevant than anyone on Idol’s panel — ever. Simon and Jimmy I. somehow get it even though they are crotchety old guys, but that kind of insight is rare (and sometimes Jimmy I. makes me wonder with his song choices out of the 1970s).

Youth. Youth. Youth. Mariah is a great singer and hugely successful — really, one of the most successful pop stars ever — but relevant? About as relevant as J.Lo I’m afraid. :(

thats the thing though these shows MAKE the judges relevant. JLo’s career was tanking (anyone remember that awful ‘throwing on my louboutins’…shudder) before she became an AI judge and now she’s had some very successful hits. Same with Christina Aguilera. Adam Levine had massive success with his past 2 songs BECAUSE of the extra exposure he got from the voice. Relevance isn’t an issue, its having judges who will actually critique instead of gives awful sound bites/catchphrases 10 times a night

is she CURRENTLY relevant? not totally (although her voice is STILL one of the best out there, not matter how prolific her career has or hasn’t been). the reason she will be good on the show is because she has the career, actual talent, and knowledge to back it up. she could actually really help the contestants find their niche…after all, she knows how to write and choose good singles with 18 number ones under her belt.

Michael, I am glad you mentioned the night she mentored during season 7. That has to be one of the best performance nights on Idol ever. Everyone was good to great. David Cook, Always Be My Baby”; David Archuleta , “When You Believe”; Syesha Mercado , “Vanishing”; Jason Castro, “I Don’t Wanna Cry”; Brooke White, “Hero”; Kristy Lee Cook, “Forever”; Carly Smithson, “Without You ”
I don’t know much about Mariah, but at least she has a great voice and writes songs, too. Comparing her to JLo I don’t see how should would not be an improvement.

I agree. JLo and her auto tuned “voice” was a disaster! She used AI to promote her own crap songs and embarrassed herself with musical numbers promoting her junk albums and with the nerve to have her boyfriend Casper Federline dance behind her. It was obvious she was jealous of female singers with superior voices (and many times the writing chops she lacked) like Haley Reinhart and Elise Testone. Good riddance.

Steven Tyler was just as useless with his career long over, really. I’ll give him that is IS a real musician (unlike JLo), but his “commentaries” were just as blundering and stooopid! Double good riddance.

Randy…STILL a boorish buffoon! Go away.

Those 3 were so disgusting last season: Four words: Time of the Season!?!?!? Phil performed this song so horribly, and they all gave him kudos.

Not a huge fan of Mariah, but at least she can sing and has written or co-written some good songs. I HOPE THE PRODUCERS AND/OR HER MANAGEMENT CHAT WITH HER ABOUT PROVIDING MEANINGFUL COMMENTARIES TO ALL SINGERS AND NOT BE A PEOPLE PLEASER!!! (Sorry had to shout this!)

I begged Slezak to make it happen, but all the bugging him on Twitter didn’t change the fact that Phillip underwent a serious kidney surgery and had to rest up so he would be ready for the tour. He never caught up with Casey James and he never redid the Casey Abrams interview after that footage got corrupted, so don’t count on anything with Phillip. (Boo.)